How Separating Data & Emotion Can Help You “Feel” Better.
Within the sports world, athletes are often surrounded by an abundance of data, metrics, and analytics. While these tools undoubtedly serve a crucial purpose in enhancing performance, they also present a unique challenge.
At DEEKA we feel our responsibility goes beyond merely analysing numbers and improving technique. It is our duty to help athletes "feel” better – not in terms of shifting emotions from sadness to happiness, but rather, in enabling them to be more in-tune with their own feelings, emotions, and internal cues. This recalibration is essential in ensuring athletes can make the best use of the available data, ultimately leading to improved performance and overall well-being.
The Paradox of Data Overload
In modern society, we are inundated with data and information. In sports, this phenomenon is even more pronounced. Athletes track various performance metrics, such as power, HR, HRV, macros, RHR, and more. While this data can be immensely valuable, it also has the potential to create a disconnect between an athlete's subjective experience and the objective measurements.
When athletes rely solely on metrics to gauge their progress, they might neglect their own feelings and instincts. Over time, this can lead to a sense of detachment from their sport and undermine their overall satisfaction. Consequently, athletes may experience a lack of motivation, burnout, or reduced enjoyment in their training and competition.
The Importance of Emotion Awareness
As coaches, one of our most significant contributions is guiding athletes to reconnect with their emotions and internal sensations. Understanding how they feel during training and competition is a crucial aspect of self-awareness. Emotion awareness enables athletes to respond appropriately to various situations, make better decisions, and optimise their performance.
The process of emotional calibration starts with acknowledging that feelings are valid and valuable indicators of an athlete's state of mind and readiness. Encouraging open communication about emotions helps break down the barriers that prevent athletes from truly understanding their inner selves. By doing so, we can help them recognise patterns, triggers, and reactions that might influence their performance.
Balancing Data and Emotion
It is essential to emphasise that emotional awareness does not negate the significance of data-driven insights. Instead, it complements them. By reconnecting with their feelings, athletes can more accurately interpret the data available to them. They learn to filter out external noise and focus on the metrics that genuinely matter, enhancing the value of the information at hand.
For instance, an athlete might use data to identify a drop in their performance. Instead of feeling discouraged, they can use emotional awareness to recognise the factors contributing to this decline – stress, lack of sleep, or personal issues. By addressing the root causes, athletes can make necessary adjustments to their training routine and mental preparation, effectively utilising the data to improve their performance.
Conversely, an athlete might find themselves in a situation where they don’t feel 100%, and the data supports that there is a slight drop in performance. By looking inwards athletes can accurately make the call on whether they should finish a session early due to a significant correlation of feelings and data. Or press on, accepting that although they don’t feel amazing, the data isn’t a million miles from where it should be and accept that it’s a day to “just get on with it”.
Our Role as Coaches
As coaches, our approach is multifaceted. Beyond the physical and technical aspects of training, we encourage a holistic perspective that includes emotional well-being. Here are some ways we help athletes "feel” better and make the most of available data.
1. Establishing a Safe and Supportive Environment: Creating an open and non-judgmental atmosphere where athletes feel comfortable discussing their emotions and concerns.
2. Promoting Mindfulness: Encouraging mindfulness practices that help athletes develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
3. Validating Feelings: Showing empathy and understanding towards athletes' emotions, letting them know that their feelings are valued and respected.
4. Emotional Goal Setting: Incorporating emotional well-being into goal setting, ensuring that athletes consider both their physical objectives and emotional needs.
5. Encouraging Self-Reflection: Encouraging regular self-reflection, helping athletes understand how their emotions influence their performance.
At DEEKA, our role extends beyond enhancing physical abilities and optimising performance through data analysis. By helping athletes "feel” better we empower them to be more in tune with their inner selves.
